FARMERS and scientists in North Wales are growing varieties of cannabis.

The Hemp and Flax Project - run by the University of Wales, Bangor - hopes to encourage farmers to grow and market the crop successfully.

And unlike other strains of the plant, hemp and flax cannot be used as a drug.

Hemp fibres are renowned for their strength and have traditionally been used for ropes. They are used for the inside of cars by BMW and Mercedes.

Project manager Geraint Hughes, of the University's School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, said: "These plants, although uncommon today, were harvested in North Wales hundreds of years ago.

"Many areas of Wales, such as Cwm Llinau, which means Flax Valley, and Cwm Cywarch, which is Hemp Valley, are named from the crops which were grown there and bear testimony to their popularity.

"Harlech was once known as the hemp capital of the UK.

"What this project does is to assist the modern farmer in growing these crops today."

With the help of Objective 1 European funding, Bangor University has spent three years running trials with local farmers to develop strains of hemp and flax best suited to modern agricultural practices and their end use.

Mr Hughes said: "We are testing the crop at all the extremes at the university and then we try to fine-tune the system on the farms, using their experience and input.

"We have about 140 acres of hemp on 24 farms in Wales, including 100 acres in Anglesey."

The university's BioComposites Centre is also studying the fibres produced in a bid to develop new products for the market.

At the moment, according to Mr Hughes, hemp is worth between &#xA3;95 and &#xA3;120 a tonne but only yields six or seven tonnes a hectare. This compares to barley and wheat, which is about &#xA3;60 a tonne and yields nearer 10 tonnes a hectare.